Storm Approaching

There is something wonderful about the marshes in Maine and the stillness of the water. I'm working with a more muted palette and this painting was challenging as most of the colors needed gray. I absolutely love gray cloudy days and the possibility of rain.

Are You Looking At Me?

There is something inherently wonderful about the shape of a tomato. We have a three year tomato plant that just keeps going, even in the dreadful heat of a desert summer. I changed the background of this painting for my friend Sheron, as usual she was right.

Tomato on White Counter

I cannot believe I have not posted since last September! Well, life got in the way a wee bit. I spent time in Oregon and Maine in autumn and then became uber busy with work and my art group. I know, I'm making excuses but Carol Marine was very correct in stating it is very difficult to keep focused and committed to painting every day. She however, is amazing in that she does! 

The wind has changed yet again and life seems a bit simpler, my son is graduating from college in two weeks (no more nursing!!) and my tenure as president of my art group, PaperWorks, is finished as well. And the blistering Arizona heat arrives, so I cannot think of a more apt time to refocus my priorities and commitments and stay inside the cool house and paint! 

I'd like to continue with small still life studies but my real love is the landscape. That just may have to wait until Fall. I wanted to only use two powerful neutrals and I have never used a black background for painting, only photography. It was really good to mix up the oils again.

Judy's Pear

I love pears, something about their organic female shape that makes them interesting to paint. My aunt's birthday is coming up and I painted this for her. I like dark backgrounds and this pear I put on an old bamboo cutting board. One would think a green pear would have a lot of green but actually it really has a lot of yellow.
Off to Oregon for a few days to celebrate my friend's birthday, can't wait to take some photos of the landscape and I'm bringing gouache for some quick color studies.

Haystack Pines

I spent a week at Haystack School of Arts and Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine, ten years ago and it was the most creative and magical experience I have had in my adult life. Living in the desert, I really miss the pine and fir trees and I guess I must have Maine on my mind as I recently came across a bunch of Deer Isle coastal photos. 

I wanted to tackle the tricky landscape greens in this painting as well as loose brushwork. I painted this painting primarily with my left hand as opposed to my right, which is my dominant hand. I really enjoyed working this way and hopefully it will prepare me to paint some plein air when I return to Maine next month.

Scavenger

This was a large crow that was scavenging for food on Moonstone Beach in California. I was surprised he allowed me to get so close to take his photo but he seemed oblivious to me snapping away. He was the only dark spot on the glittering beige sand. Crows are fascinating birds, they used to scare me when I was young but they are very majestic and bossy. Birds with an attitude!

Nectarines Too

I painted the nectarines again and was able to paint looser as the previous painting was a warm up. I'm much happier with the way this one turned out. Nectarines have a lot of variations of color and they are slightly shiny so they do have a very small area of highlight.